


a maze of mirrors

by YunalalieMoon



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst and Fluff, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Mirror by Stray Kids to be exact, Sad Ending, Slow Burn, So yeah, Song fic, THAT WAS COOL, actually I might make one for both depending on how much people cry, not themselves, this song made me think because they're standing across from another member
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-08 11:19:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14693123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YunalalieMoon/pseuds/YunalalieMoon
Summary: all I see in the mirror is you.orthe soulmate!au where you look like your soulmate to only yourself. while others see you as your real appearance, you will only see yourself as your soulmate.you've met your soulmate when you look in the mirror and you're your real self.the real you disappears when your soulmate dies, and you become a grayed out version of them in a colorful world.





	a maze of mirrors

**Author's Note:**

> this was written because I'm sad I didn't make the volleyball team  
> I am being serious rn that's how depressed I am right now to spew this out  
> hhhh I hate volleyball sometimes because it's a cooperative sport and??? ick
> 
> this was inspired by the Mirror choreography. because when changbin mirrors chan (?) in the beginning, it made me think, "hey, what if I make a stupid soulmate au revolving around that one part?"
> 
> anyway
> 
> Enjoy this sad story where jisung is sad  
> and minho is  
> uh
> 
> you'll see
> 
> also: the park jinyoung in this story is intended to be GOT7's park jinyoung, not jyp himself. I mean, if you want it to be jyp, go ahead, but that'd be a bit strange, haha
> 
> by the way
> 
> Hyunjin's speech inn the first few thousand words isn't meant to be offensive, it's actually how i used to talk!

Jisung's life had revolved around finding his soulmate. 

Jisung was a true helpless romantic, yes, but the idea of finding the man who would be the center of his universe excited him. After all, who wouldn't be excited to meet a stranger that was as handsome as himself?

Jisung's soulmate was a tallish man with blond-ramen like hair. The ends of the strands waved into pretty patterns, and Jisung was always happy to comb them. His soulmate's eyes were a pretty shade of brown, a mix between fawn and dark chocolate. The eyes always seemed to be lit up, and there were always small highlights in the corner of his pupils, like an anime character. The lips were soft and shiny, not exactly plump but not quite thin. His skin was a pale shade of peach, and Jisung always found it a bit strange that he never became tan.

Whoever this stranger was, Jisung would love him with his whole heart. He hoped the other had a good personality, as to like someone for how handsome they were was a bit shallow. Jisung smiled thinking about it. His soulmate's smile was the most beautiful thing in the world. The whole world stopped the minute Jisung caught a glimpse of his soulmate's grin. His teeth were shiny, white, and perfectly straight, but that wasn't what made it special. The smile had something kind and warm to it, and it gave him a sense of humanity. Seeing it made Jisung push to achieve his goals even more. 

Jisung was a bit sad his family couldn't see what his soulmate looked like. After all, it didn't work that way. Only the person could see what their soulmate looked like. Their soulmate's appearance was what they looked like to the person. To others, like their family and friends, they only saw the real person, not the soulmate. Honestly speaking, it was a confusing system. Couldn't they have just printed the name of his soulmate on his wrist? 

Jisung sighed, running his hands through his hair. He was in college; most people found their soulmate in high school. Where was Jisung's soulmate? His soulmate, or, as what Jisung had begun calling him, _Hyunho_ , couldn't be dead. Jisung never saw his pale skin turn grey, his eyes lose their shine, or his hair's silky color lose a bit of its calm-to-the-touch feeling. No, Jisung was absolutely sure Hyunho was alive. 

Just because Hyunho was alive didn't mean it would be easy to find him. Jisung's situation may sound like a mental dilemma, but, in truth, he was very lucky to have his soulmate be the same ethnicity as him. Jisung had once heard of a Chinese woman traveling all the way across the world to meet her soulmate, only to find out he was dating another girl.

Jisung snickered at the thought. Because you took your soulmate's appearance, girls ended up being boys, and boys ended up being girls. However, Jisung's soulmate was a man. He had been a bit afraid to tell his close friends at first, but they accepted Jisung when he finally told them. After all, who could control the universe?

"I don't know, man, but I'm pretty sure Professor Lee can control whether or not you're going to live on the streets," a voice said from the doorway.

Jisung jumped at the sudden intrusion and turned around. Which one of his terrible roommates who had come to ruin his deep thoughts was it today? Jisung's eyes darted around before landing on a small figure with a pointy and big nose and small eyes. Oddly charming, Jisung begrudgingly admitted. "What do you want this time, Changbin?" Jisung said, his eyes narrowing into slits.

Changbin shrugged before sitting down on the red couch that was placed at the opposite end of the room. "Can't I check up on my favorite friend once in a while?" Upon seeing Jisung's expression, Changbin laughed and corrected himself. "Yeah, of course, I'm lying. I'm trying to see how the painting of your soulmate is going, so I can laugh at how bad you look compared to him. Or vice versa, doesn't matter," Changbin said, standing up and walking over to Jisung's table filled with paints.

Staring at the painting, Changbin paused for a minute. "Man, he looks really handsome. You got lucky, didn't you? But I got luckier," Changbin mumbled, looking over Jisung's shoulder.

Jisung snorted, pushing Changbin's head away from him. "One, I don't need your germy head near me, excuse me. Two, please shut up about your handsome soulmate. Yeah, I know, it's pretty cool that you found Felix, and he's that good looking, but he reminds me a bit of a lollipop. Like, a good lollipop," Jisung rambled, trying to add the splotches of white to Hyunho's eyes.

Changbin scoffed. "My head is not germy, Felix is no a lollipop, and was that supposed to be a joke?" It was quiet before Changbin continued. "Also, why are you adding more to the picture? Isn't it good enough as is?" Changbin asked. Jisung turned around to see the older's eyebrows furrowed together, trying to figure out what tiny detail Jisung was scrutinizing over.

Jisung laughed and hit Changbin's shoulder. It was an empty laugh, Jisung noted. "No, it's not. His eyes have this... shiny look to them. Like, you can feel the love radiating from looking at him. You do know what I mean, right?" Jisung asked, worryingly looking into the mirror to make sure the sparkle was still there.

Changbin hummed. "Of course I know. Felix had the same sparkle. But, like," Changbin paused to point at the mirror, "It's kinda weird to see you looking into the mirror and drawing a completely different thing. I would draw you, but I don't major in art."

Jisung mumbled a small "glad you didn't," to which he promptly got a smack on his head for. 

Yeah, Jisung deserved that smack.

It was silent for a bit, Changbin watching Jisung trying to place two white dots in the middle of Hyunho's eyes. Jisung was concentrating as hard as ever. After all, the paintbrush was only so small, and Jisung had to really focus on dotting the brush just right. If he didn't, it wouldn't look like his Hyunho. It'd look like someone else, a complete stranger. Jisung needed his emotions to be seen in this painting. Jisung needed for others to see the exact same thing that he saw. The love, compassion, determination, all of it.

"Hey, I have an idea!" Changbin said. 

The sudden break of the silence almost made Jisung drop his white paint on the painting, and Jisung was glad he managed to catch the brush before it fell on the hair that Jisung spent a month working on. "What? It better be good, I almost sacrificed my painting for this," Jisung said, angrily biting his lip.

Changbin smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry, mate. It didn't actually hit the painting though, so feel happy. Anyway, what if we ask another art major to draw you? You can pay them, and you'll even get to see how ugly you look."

Jisung was tempted to throw a splotch of red paint at Changbin's face, but he didn't. Once in a while, Changbin actually had a good idea that wasn't related to music. This was one of those rare times. "That's... actually not a bad idea. What happened to Changbin?" Jisung asked.

Changbin mouthed a "burn in a fireplace" at Jisung.

Despite Jisung's teasing, Jisung was very tempted at Changbin's suggestion. "Sure, we could go find one. I have a class tomorrow at two, you can wait since you don't have anything better to do," Jisung said. Before Changbin could protest, Jisung pushed his chair back. "I want to see how much of a squirrel I actually am. Also, it's twelve in the morning. We should probably get some sleep before we collapse on our first day of attending classes at uni."

Changbin pursed his lips and reluctantly followed Jisung out of the door, closing the wooden board and flicking the lights off. "Do you think anyone will actually agree? I mean, painting someone is a lot of work. Besides, the model has to stay still for the artist to do a good job, and I'm not sure you can do that," Changbin murmured so he wouldn't wake Felix up. They had entered Felix's room and were currently standing in front of Changbin's bed.

Jisung looked dead serious as he met gazes with Changbin. "Even if they're a bit hesitant, I'll tell them money is involved. If they agree off the bat, I won't say anything about pay. All you have to do is come with me and keep your mouth shut, okay?" Jisung asked.

Changbin nodded before shooing Jisung out of his room.

This was exactly why the two were scrambling around at one in the afternoon. Changbin and Jisung usually slept late, but this time, they had both slept over time. They had a few minutes left, and Jisung was nervous. He had left some of his art supplies lying around in his studio and was frantically struggling to pick them up. "God, I hope he doesn't kill me. Professor Lee is scary," Jisung muttered under his breath.

"Jisung, I got the rest of your stuff! Let's go before we miss the bus! We're already a bit late," Changbin hollered across the room. 

Sadly looking at his painting of Hyunho, Jisung picked up his bag and started running out of the door after Changbin. They walked side by side in the warm breeze, the sun beating down on them. The sidewalk below them was starting to crack. The college let the artsy students draw semi-permanent drawings on the ground, and the beautiful design that had been made by a third-year named Minho was split in half. 

Jisung was a second-year, and he found third-years very interesting, especially Minho. He had never seen any pictures of Minho, however, he did know that the other was handsome and practically adored by every person. Jisung aspired to be as good of an artist as Minho was. Naturally, when he had seen the artwork, Jisung's first reaction had been to take a picture of it. It was still hung above his bed, and Jisung wondered to himself every night how something that perfect could have been drawn by a human.

Yes, that Minho was surely something.

Absentmindedly sitting on the blue bus seat next to Changbin (when did they get on the bus?) Jisung started to wonder if this was a good idea. After all, who would want to draw him? God, what if he really was as ugly as Changbin said?

Jisung started to burn up in a nervous sweat and didn't notice Changbin lightly bumping his shoulder. The bumps slowly grew more and more violent until Jisung snapped from his daze. "Yeah? What is it, mate?" Jisung asked. He hoped he wasn't shaking too much; Changbin surely would tease him for it.

The teasing he had expected never came. Instead, he felt a pair of strong arms wrap around his small frame. The hot and wet tears started to leak from Jisung's eyes, and he tried hard not to cry. "Hey, Jisung. Breathe in twice for me, yeah? Now breathe out once." Changbin said, rubbing circles on Jisung's back.

Jisung obliged, shaking in Changbin's grip. "I'm okay," Jisung lied, his face buried in Changbin's neck. 

Changbin sighed. Jisung could tell Changbin knew he was lying, but he didn't say anything. "Hey, are you worried about what I said?" Changbin asked.

When Jisung sniffled, Changbin's hug tightened. "No, no. Don't worry. I'm sorry, I should've told you I was just joking. Honestly, you're one of the cutest people I know. Smart, handsome, and amazing. Who wouldn't want you?"

Jisung bit his lip. A small fragment of doubt still hung with him, but he'd believe Changbin. He'd follow Changbin to the end of the world.

Changbin had been there for him when no one else would.

Jisung had always been a bit of an outcast. No one wanted to play with him when he was younger because of his brother. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, and Jisung felt his heart turn cold.

Jisung's brother was named Sanhyuk. Sanhyuk was the most well-known person in South Korea, but not for a good reason. Sanhyuk was the head of a dangerous mafia group, and he had a bounty of one million for his whereabouts. Sanhyuk did many things Jisung was not proud of, and he was ashamed to admit it ran in the family. His father had been the head of the group, his grandfather had been too, and so forth. Usually, the family tradition was to have one child. If the child was a girl, they were sacrificed. The process kept going until they got a boy. Only one boy was allowed to live, so he could be the sole heir of the group without any petty fights.

Sanhyuk beat and abused him as a coping method. Sanhyuk blamed Jisung for all the terrible things that had happened to their mother, as well as what happened to their father. If Jisung was being honest, he'd say he deserved those beatings. The bruising never went away, and Jisung always went to school with purple arms and black eyes. The obvious damage and the story about his parents only drove the other kids to bully him more, giving Jisung more reason to remember what a terrible person he was.

This had gone on throughout elementary school and into middle school. It wasn't until eighth grade that Jisung's luck finally turned around. 

Jisung was getting pushed around the hallways by their school's residential tough guy, Choi Seungcheol. Behind him, Joshua and Jeonghan snickered, Jisoo drawing the attention of other students and Jeonghan filming. Jisung tasted and saw blood, and he felt as if he were about to faint. But he couldn't. Jisung knew the others would only torment him more if he showed any signs of weakness, so Jisung had to keep all of his cryings to the late nights where he wasn't being worked to death by Sanhyuk.

Jisung felt his vision start to fade, and he struggled to stay awake. This is it, Jisung had thought. He was really going to die, right there and then. Jisung waited for the last kick or punch, his eyes shut tightly. He waited. And waited. But it never came.

Jisung opened his eyes to see Seungcheol laying unconscious ten feet away from him, and Jisung gasped in shock. He scrambled to get up, only to feel the pain come back and hit him stronger than before. Jisung whimpered, seeing the other students whisper and point in his direction. Jisung felt a small tear start to form and lifted his head so he wouldn't cry.

"Hey, can you hear me?" said someone.

Jisung was afraid to look in the direction of the voice, but took a chance and sneaked a peak. Jisung let out a pitiful squeak when he saw Seo Changbin offering him a hand. Changbin was the school's popular kid, and he wasn't expecting Changbin to go and interfere in Jisung's life. Nonetheless, Jisung would only be a burden to Changbin. The shorter man had a great future as a music producer ahead of him, and Jisung was just an artsy kid who had no talent. "No thanks. Why are you here? You probably don't want to be seen anywhere in public near me. After all, you know who I am," Jisung whispered, his voice turning smaller and smaller.

Changbin put his hand down and stared at Jisung. There was a moment of silence before Changbin wrapped his arms around Jisung and pulled him up. Brushing off his clothes, Changbin stepped back from Jisung, eyeing him carefully, as if he might break and shatter any moment. "Yeah, I'm well aware of who you are. But if you seriously think that's going to stop me from trying to save you from Seungcheol, then, man, you've probably never even met me," Changbin snorted.

Jisung saw the other students pointing out the start of a blooming friendship between the two, and Jisung was flustered.

Jisung spent the next week trying to deny Changbin's attempts at becoming friends. Changbin spent the next week figuring out ways to make Jisung pay attention to him.

In the end, they became inseparable.

Yes, Changbin was definitely the only one who had been with him during the tough times.

Jisung felt a rough pushing on his shoulder. "Jisung, it's time to wake up. We're at the campus," Changbin murmured, using his other hand to stroke Jisung's hair.

Jisung woke up. Right, right. He was here because he needed to find an art student who could draw the real him, not to reminisce about his past life. Jisung shot up, startling Changbin. Jisung snorted amusingly as he watched Changbin try to keep his cool. "Okay then, mate, let's get off before we make the bus driver blow his fuse," Jisung said, his voice heavy with sleep.

They arrived on campus, and Jisung stopped for a moment to admire how the students moved across the fading bricks. It had a sense of rhythm to it, and Jisung felt himself beginning to form the idea of a new painting in his head. He was snapped out of his reverie to see Changbin right in front of his face. Jisung jumped back and hit Changbin's shoulder. "You scared me!" Jisung whined.

"Not the point, squirrel. Look, I know a really good art kid. He draws people, the end product looks like they're actual photographs, and he's in my year. I think you've heard of him. His name is Lee Minho," Changbin rambled.

Oh, Jisung thought. Yeah, he'd heard of Minho. People said Minho was beautiful, but Jisung had never bumped into the older to know for sure. "Oh, sure. I've heard of him. He draws amazingly, I saw his painting on the sidewalk. Yeah, he'd be a good artist. Can you get him? I want to meet him as soon as possible," Jisung said.

Changbin nodded, absentmindedly. "I met him a few days ago because he's dating Chan. Actually, Chan's not his soulmate, but they're probably just doing it because they actually are grossly in love. I wanna see what happens when they find their soulmates, though," Changbin said. "Hey, I feel like I've seen him before Chan introduced me to him. Strange," Changbin murmured.

Chan was Jisung and Changbin's other best friend, and he ran on coffee. Jisung had heard Chan mention his boyfriend before, but he had never heard his name. Now he knew that Chan was dating Lee Minho. Honestly, Jisung wasn't surprised. Chan needed someone who was good at taking care of others, and he had heard rumors about Minho being a guardian angel. Everything worked out perfectly. A hot mess could be taken care of by someone who actually had their priorities and life together. Nonetheless, they weren't soulmates, and Jisung wondered if they'd break up for their real soulmate. "Go find him, please? I really want to know!" Jisung said.

"Sure," Changbin shrugged and turned in the direction of the music building. "Wait a minute, Chan told me Minho was sick. He's at home. I can give you his number so you can text and ask about the drawing," Changbin suggested.

Jisung bit his lip. If he did that, it would seem like he was stalking Minho. But, Chan might have talked about him before, so Minho would possibly know who he was. "Sure. That sounds great," he said, absentmindedly staring into space.

"Good. Here, give me your phone. I'll type it in for you," Changbin said, grabbing Jisung's phone before Jisung could say anything.

After a few quick taps, Changbin gave Jisung his phone back, brightly smiling. "You can finally know what you look like, how do you feel? Oh, and you can finally start using the right tone of foundation! I always told you the one you wear is too light. It might look right to you, but not to us," Changbin said, laughing at Jisung's offended glare.

"Oh? At least I wasn't the one complaining about how hard it was to find something to cover up your freckles when you don't have any! I kept telling you, but no, you didn't listen!" Jisung shot back.

Changbin tried to think of something to say back, but to no prevail. Jisung laughed at Changbin's dilemma and turned on his phone. Jisung scrolled through his contacts before finding a very plain contact that was named "Minho." Jisung stared at the number, then looked back up at Changbin. "I'll call him and leave a voice message to ask if he actually wants to do it," Jisung mumbled, tapping his foot on the ground. 

"Oh, yeah, I forgot we had to ask him if he actually wanted to," Changbin said.

Jisung sighed and dialed the number, waiting for the beep. Minho wouldn't pick up—after all, he was sick. Jisung heard a small, high-pitched noise before starting his rehearsed voice-mail. "Hello, this is Han Jisung. I'm a second year, and I heard you're really good at painting people. I was wondering if you could paint what I really look like. After all, I'm really curious. Call me back when you have the chance, and I can pay you for this. Thanks!" Jisung said, preparing to hang up.

"Uh, hello?" said a voice. Jisung froze, and CHangbin started snickering. "I'll be willing to do it, but... are you really going to end the call that soon? Do we have to discuss other things about the painting process? And what do you mean by "call me back when you have the chance?" I'm right here, aren't I?" Minho, as Jisung presumed, said.

Jisung turned a bright red and furiously turned around to blame Changbin. He mouthed, "You told me he was sick!" Changbins shrugged in response.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Changbin told me you were sick, so I just assumed you weren't going to pick up," Jisung said, his face still red with embarrassment.

"That's fine, I thought you were a creepy stalker that—Wait, how did you know I was sick? Are you a creepy stalker?" Minho asked, his voice growing louder.

Changbin was almost rolling on the floor, and Jisung wanted to stomp on his hand. "No, Chan told us. You know, your boyfriend?" Jisung said. God, why did it sound like he was challenging everything Minho said?

"Oh, right! Yeah, I forgot you were best friends with him. Anyway, I'll be willing to do it. It won't cost you anything, as I need practice on drawing people. The only rules I have are you bring me all the supplies you want, as well as meet with me on my terms and my time. Deal?" Minho said.

Minho sounded like a businessman making a deal, and Jisung almost laughed-slash-choked into the microphone. "Sure! When and where can we first meet?" Jisung asked.

"After your classes at college. Chan told me you only take afternoon classes, so... what about 5:00 in the night? Let's meet up at my apartment. Don't worry, you won't get the flu. I'm not actually sick anymore, just too lazy to come to class. I'll text you the address right now. Hope you don't mind Chan," Minho said.

There was a silence while Minho texted Jisung his address, and Jisung was oddly nervous. He received a text from an unknown number, and he read it out loud. "Hello, this is Minho! My address is—yeah, I got the text," Jisung said, looking at his phone.

"Great! See you then! Oh, and you might want to get to your class. It's 2:03. Bye!" Minho said before hanging up.

Jisung checked his phone's clock and dumbly stared at it. Minho was right, the little piece of—wait, how did he even know his schedule? As far as Jisung knew, he had never even seen Minho. "Right, Chan," Jisung mumbled. A part of him felt slightly defeated.

Shoving his phone into his back pocket, Jisung began to sprint towards the building. The first day of lectures and Jisung was already late. This would be a great first impression for the teachers to have of him. He could imagine it now. The teachers gossiping in the teachers' lounge, Professor Lee saying, "Ah yes, the one knucklehead who showed up seven minutes late on the first day of class, is terrible and art, and looks utterly horrible. Not to mention that he's related to that devil." 

Jisung flinched. Yes, they would definitely bring up his brother. He'd have to be extra careful about introducing himself in class. The surname "Han" was becoming rarer and rarer. They'd link him to Sanhyuk in a second. 

Jisung didn't pay attention to the annoyed college students he bumped into while running through the hallways. He almost ran into a brick wall but avoided it at the last second. When Jisung reached the lecture hall's door, he paused and took a deep breath. The clock above the door read 2:07. Jisung cursed under his breath. He'd have to come up with an excuse on why he was that late. Was "I-am-trying-to-figure-out-what-I-look-like-you-demon" an appropriate answer?

Taking out the marshmallow from his hoodie pocket and eating it, Jisung opened the door. He noticed the way everyone's eyes flickered towards him, and Jisung could feel himself crumbling under their combined gaze. Jisung slightly smiled when he saw that Woojin and Felix had saved him a seat. It didn't last long, as Professor Lee coughed to get Jisung's attention. "Han Jisung-ssi. Care to explain why you're so late?" the professor said, a smirk plastered on his disgusting face.

Jisung smiled back. "No thank you, Lee Chan. Oh, sorry, Professor Lee. I thought we were addressing each other with our full names?" Jisung said, a fake act of innocence. Jisung smiled more when he saw Professor Lee's wide-eyed expression which turned to a glare.

Professor Lee gritted his teeth together before putting his fake smile back on. "Ah, sorry, Han-ssi. That must have been rude of me. Please introduce yourself to the class."

Jisung raised an eyebrow at the professor. Both knew what game they were playing at. "Hello. I'm the sweet sugar puff!" Jisung smiled, posing. He smiled wider at his classmates' grins, but he knew they wouldn't last long. "My name's Han Jisung. Yeah, Sanhyuk's younger brother," Jisung laughed emptily upon seeing the shocked expressions of his classmates. "Don't meddle with the family business though, that's his job," Jisung said, shrugging. He stopped leaning on the desk and walked to the seat between Woojin and Felix.

"Dude!" Felix whispered. "You don't even address Sanhyuk as a person. Ever. Especially not when introducing yourself. What happened?" he asked. Felix shot Woojin a worried glance before his focus was back on Jisung.

Jisung bit his cheek, lightly humming. If Jisung was being honest, he didn't know why he did it. 

No, Jisung wasn't being honest. Jisung was lying to himself. Again.

It happened often. You're okay, it's fine, you're a great person, things like that. Jisung always liked to tell himself these lies. They made him feel wanted, like he had a place. Somewhere deep inside him, Jisung knew this was a lie. Jisung was a murderer, he had killed his mother by being born. Jisung would murder more, as he was set to become one of Sanhyuk's henchmen. A despicable job, yes, but Jisung had no other choice. He still remembered the day Sanhyuk had come barging into his room with a contract in his hand. It was either sign it or let Sanhyuk murder his friends. Jisung would rather be put into a slave contract than watch his friends die before his eyes.

Jisung heard Woojin softly call for him, Felix waving his hand in front of his face. Jisung snapped out of his trance, glancing back and forth between his two friends. Woojin shook his head, pointing to Professor Lee.

Jisung turned his head to look at what Professor Lee was doing. The professor was pointing at an oddly familiar piece of art, and Jisung looked up at the projector. Oh, he realized. The dusty old dinosaur was talking about the students' art projects they turned in for finals the year before. Jisung's eyes darted back to the art. It was a painting of an angel standing in front of a pond. The reflection was not that of an angel, but one of a devil. The angel's side had grass that was evenly cut with patches of calla lilies blooming. The devil's grass was filled with weeds, a single black rose blooming in the center of the patch. The moon seemed to shine brighter on the angel's side, and the trees seemed to cast more shadows on the devil's side. The only thing that remained the same on both sides were the shackles binding their ankles together.

Jisung realized it was an interpretation of a love that was unbalanced, the two being too different but bound together by fate. They had no choice but to be with each other.

Just because Jisung was fond of the idea of finding his soulmate didn't mean he didn't think it was a messed up system. Yeah, you can date whoever you want, but once you find your soulmate your soul is bound to them. The person in question can't love anyone else unless they want to deal with their soul being torn from them. Jisung has heard it's not fun.

Jisung tapped his fingers on the desk in a pattern, briefly thinking about why the painting was familiar. "Oh, yeah. It's mine," Jisung mumbled, a wave of realization hitting him. A real hand hit him, accompanied with a "you didn't know?" from Felix.

Jisung was about to return to daydreaming before he heard his name. "Now, the artist of this painting will present the meaning, as it won first place at last year's Seoul University Art District Competition!" Professor Lee said, a bitter taste being left unsaid.

"Huh?" Jisung said after Woojin shoved him.

Jisung walked to the front of the room, dumbfounded. Had he won first last year? No one told him. "Oh, yes. This is my emo side fighting my brain," Jisung joked, pointing at the angel and devil. He smiled at the laughter he received from his fellow peers. "Nah, but seriously, it's a struggle about the soulmate system. You know, my mom, her soulmate was my dad. But, like, she fell in love with a guy named Jisung, hence my name. The universe hates us all though, so she was basically bound to my dad. Sick, I tell you. She lost part of her soul because she didn't want to leave the Jisung dude... so... tada!" Jisung laughed, feeling a bit empty inside.

Jisung's mother was a woman named Yejin. She had been forced to marry her soulmate, Jisung's dad, in a contract for Yejin's life. Yejin's first child had been a beautiful girl named Sunhwa, but, as Jisung had heard, she had been brutally beaten and slain right in front fo Yejin's eyes. Jisung's dad was cruel and decided to punish Yejin for having a girl as her first child. He called it a "severe disappointment" to their "pure family line." 

Yejin had been so upset that she decided to run away. Yejin was smart and had devised a full, well thought out plan, but she was thwarted yet again by Jisung's dad. Yejin fell ill, and it was soon discovered that she was pregnant. This time, it was a boy. 

Yejin had named it Sanhyuk. Sanhyuk was a happy child, and he was very intelligent. His dad played little part in raising him, and Yejin spent all of her time dedicated to making him the best child she could. Even if Yejin had been content with the life she had led, she did not truly love Sanhyuk. Sanhyuk reminded Yejin too much of Jisung's dad. Yejin was afraid he'd turn out to become another one of those monsters that captured her and put her life on the line.

This, Jisung sighed, was where his mother had made her first mistake.

Yejin had a secret. She was having an affair with another man: Yoon Jisung. One stormy autumn night, Yejin escaped the run-down shelter she had been trapped in for seven years. Yejin ran and ran, and people gave her weird stares. She didn't care. Yejin needed to find her safe haven again, needed to be herself again.

She succeeded. On the eighteenth of November, Han Yejin made it out of a living hell alive. Yoon Jisung and Yejin could never get married, as Yejin was legally married to Jisung's dad. However, it didn't stop the two from becoming a couple. They dated and did all normal things couples do. Yejin forgot about her past life and was even healthy enough to have another child. The main thing she forgot was Sanhyuk.

She forgot about Sanhyuk.

Sanhyuk knew. When Yejin had left, Sanhyuk was three. Although he was young, Sanhyuk was smart enough to figure out what had happened. Driven by rage, Sanhyuk told his father about Yejin's betrayal. Jisung's dad was shocked, because he had always assumed Yejin died from an enemy raid. Jisung's dad ordered a raid on Yoon Jisung's house, and soon enough, Yejin was being dragged by her wrist into the shelter. Jisung's dad put Yejin on Mafia trial for treason to the high authorities. Jisung's dad obviously won the case. It was set that Yejin would be executed by guillotine the same dawn she had been claimed guilty. Yejin was distressed. Her beautiful child, her new baby boy wasn't going to have a chance at life. Desperate, she pleaded with Jisung's dad to let her child live. Jisung's dad had always had a soft spot for Yejin, and, although hesitantly, ordered for the trial to be put off until the new child was healthy enough to walk.

This child was Jisung.

Yejin had been executed as soon as Jisung took his first steps, and he never even saw her casket. Stuck to his promise with Yejin, Jisung's dad let him live. It didn't mean he was treated like a prince, no, quite the opposite, but at least Jisung was allowed to live.

Yoon Jisung, still alive and dying in a hospital bed, had told Jisung the full story. Even without the older's help, Jisung would have figured it out. After an unsuccessful raid, Jisung's father was captured, and the detectives figured out the real story behind the Han Yejin that had disappeared all those years ago.

Jisung saw his classmates shoot him worried glances, and Jisung let out a dry laugh. Once Jisung started, he couldn't stop, and soon he felt tears start to well up in his eyes. The humorless laughter continued, and Jisung felt his chest tighten up. The laughter turned into coughing, and the metallic taste of blood stayed in the back of Jisung's throat. "Excuse me," Jisung managed to choke out before running out of the room.

Jisung slammed the door shut behind him, taking a deep breath. "That was a great first impression, Jisung. What else are they going to ostracize you for now?" Jisung said.

Sniffling, Jisung raised his hand to wipe his tears. He had spent his whole life living as an outcast, why was he so afraid of it now? Maybe it was because he had finally found his group of friends and was afraid of losing everything. Maybe it was because he had never really grown used to the feeling of being forgotten. Jisung was still frightened to death, whatever the reason was.

Footsteps approached from the other side of the hallway and came to a stop when they reached Jisung. "Hello? Hey, what happened?" an unfamiliar voice said. 

Jisung tried to regain his composure before looking up. The first thing Jisung realized was that it was a handsome stranger. Jisung could only see the other's eyes and the bridge of his nose, as the rest of his face was covered with a white cleaning mask. His eyes were like a car accident—Jisung just couldn't look away. There was something about the sharp and almond-shaped eyes that captured him. The warm brown that shaded his pupils in was soft and welcoming, and Jisung could have sworn they shined. The newcomer's ears were a bit elfish, but they fit him nicely. Close to perfection, Jisung thought. 

Jisung shook his head. "Just a bit shaken up. I had a small panic attack in the classroom, I'm fine now," Jisung mumbled, brushing the dust off his clothes as he stood. "My name's Jisung. This is my second year in the torture chamber, what about you?"

Jisung smiled as the newcomer laughed. "Oh? You're holding up well! This is my fourth year, and I'm starting to think if dropping out would be easier. I'm Jinyoung," he said, sticking his hand out for Jisung to shake.

Jisung reciprocated the handshake. "So, Mr. Jinyoung, what brings you to," Jisung said, looking at the number on the classroom door. "Classroom J-129?" Jinyoung smiled, and Jisung found himself smiling along with him. "Ah, I accidentally forgot my roommate somewhere near hear earlier. I gotta go find him before he causes too much trouble." Jinyoung laughed. "I don't think he's one of those people that I trust by themselves, you know? They're too unpredictable and scary. He might end up founding a Mafia gang or something." Too close to home, Jisung thought. Carefully observing Jinyoung, he noticed the other was a bit tense at the shoulders. "I mean, whoever you're describing, he sounds like he'd really be a hard person to take care of. Let me guess, you cook and clean for him?" Jinyoung let his shoulders relax, and Jisung raised his eyebrows at the action. "I mean, I cook, but we both do the cleaning. We have another person in our apartment, Kim Woojin. Since we're all cleaning freaks, our apartment is cleaner than the Seoul Museum of History. It has it's perks, but sometimes we throw away each other's assignments," Jinyoung said. He shrugged, and Jisung felt the smile on his own face grow warmer. Jisung nodded absentmindedly. "That must suck, huh?" Looking down at his watch, Jisung pretended to grimace. "Ah, it's getting late. I have to leave." Jinyoung frowned and fumbled with his long sleeves. Jisung laughed, finding it cute. "Oh, that's a shame. I'll see you around," Jinyoung mumbled. "Last name?" Jisung asked.

Oh, he regretted it immediately. Jinyoung's expression changed to one of curiousity. "Park. You?"

"Han."

"Oh, that's cool. Wait, Han? As in, Han Sanhyuk's relative Han? Like, the Mafia boss that's out to kill everyone? Man, you're his younger brother?" Jinyoung asked, clearly shocked.

"The one and only," Jisung laughed dryly. "Don't ask, it's a sensitive topic, and I don't talk about it on first encounters. Anyway, I'll get going now. See you later, Park Jinyoung-ssi," Jisung said.

Turning on his heel, Jisung began to speedwalk towards the nearest exit. Close, Jisung thought. "Hey, wait!" said Jinyoung.

Jisung jumped in his spot and turned his head to see JInyoung running at him. "Here's my number. Text me sometime, you seem cool."

Jinyoung proceeded to run off, and Jisung stared in disbelief. What was he doing? Probably just wanted to probe more into Jisung's past, he realized. Whipping back around, Jisung ran to the doors. Jisung was not risking bumping into another busybody, nor did he have the mental capacity to deal with one. Trying to open the door so fast that he almost forgot how, Jisung took a deep breath of fresh air. "Ah, peace and silence."

Jisung closed his eyes and began to walk peacefully towards the dormitories, not caring about the class he was skipping. He'd ask Felix for the notes. Plugging in his headphones, Jisung began to mouth the words to the song pulsing through the wires. I'll Wait by Day6 was the best song of the century, and no one was going to tell him otherwise. 

Along the path, Jisung took the time to admire the rows of flowers that had been planted by the university's gardening club. They were always so thoughtful, putting the flowers there so others could have a reason to smile. Jisung bent down to look at his favorite, the rare black rose. Jisung was no fool, he knew they symbolized death, but, to him, they carried a special meaning. Yejin's favorite flower had been a rose, and her favorite color was black.

Jisung stood up and kept walking. He closed his eyes as he swung his head to the beat.

"Watch it, punk. You tryin' to start a fight?" said a gruff voice.

Jisung made a small sound of question before looking up. Oh, Hwang Hyunjin. The college rebel. Jisung inwardly sighed. Hyunjin used to be Jisung's friend, but after joining the wrong group, Hyunjin grew more and more distant until Jisung barely knew him. He talked different, wore too much eyeliner, and started picking fights on weaker students. One of the said weaker students was Jisung himself, and he would never forget the betrayal that hit him as hard as Hyunjin did. "Oh, Hyunjinnie? Didn't see you, sorry," Jisung politely said, trying his best to walk away.

"Eh? Nah, you ain't getting off that easy," Hyunjin slurred, gripping Jisung's wrist. 

Jisung struggled in Hyunjin's grip. He had never been the strong type, and physical combat wasn't something Jisung was good at. Marking himself as good as dead, Jisung relaxed and let Hyunjin pull him around. Jisung closed his eyes, waiting for the punch to come.

After waiting for what seemed like hours, it still never did. Jisung opened his eyes, a brief "What?" escaping his mouth. He finally felt the impact hit his jaw, and Jisung flinched in pain. "Hah, sorry princess. No one's here to save ya. Was waiting for you to see my fist hit you," Hyunjin said.

Jisung felt tears start to well up in his eyes and moved a hand to wipe the tears from his eyes before Hyunjin could see. Out of the corner of his eye, Jisung saw a red-headed figure sweep in from the east corridor and sneak up behind Hyunjin. Jisung wanted to laugh at the redhead's attempt at being hidden. After all, watching a strawberry tip-toeing was very funny. Noticing Jisung was about to laugh, Strawberry motioned an "shh" sign to Jisung, he gripped Hyunjin's neck and pulled him backward. Jisung covered his eyes but left holes for him to peek through.

The school's strawberry, also known as the student council president, had Hyunjin in a choke hold. "Hwang Hyunjin, fighting on campus isn't allowed. Think you should take your fights somewhere else, huh?" Strawberry said. Hyunjin could barely splutter back, as Strawberry tightened his grip. "Wouldn't it be a shame to get you expelled? Oh, dear, how about you just sit on that bench over there?" Strawberry suggested, letting Hyunjin go. The sweetness was covered with malice. When Hyunjin didn't move, Strawberry laughed. "That wasn't an option, Hwang. Move." Avoiding eye-contact with Strawberry, Hyunjin walked to the bench, and Jisung couldn't help but smirk in satisfaction. It wasn't every day you got to see someone teaching Hwang Hyunjin a lesson. "Thank you, President. You really helped me there," Jisung said, bowing.

The president laughed, shaking his head. "Nah, no problem! Just make sure no one ever knows this happened, Jisung. You can call me by my real name, you know, I'm not a different person just because I'm the president of the student council," Seungmin said.

"Sure, Strawb—Seungmin. When Hyunjin, you, and I sat together at lunch, you refused to be called anything but 'President,'" Jisung reminisced.

Seungmin snorted. "Okay, yeah, but that was two years ago, in high school. We're in college now, what do you want me to do? I've grown and changed," Seungmin said, attempting a hair flip.

Jisung rolled his eyes at his friend's poor attempt at being pretty. "You haven't grown up a bit, what do you mean 'haven't changed?'"

Seungmin shrugged. "Well, maybe not that bit, but two years ago I would never have punched Hyunjin in the face. Now, that's all I feel like doing," Seungmin grimaced. Jisung offered a smile of support, remembering what had happened. "Speaking of Hyunjin, call his roommate. His roommate isn't a prick," Seungmin mumbled.

Jisung blinked. "How am I supposed to know where to call him? Besides, who is Hyunjin's roommate?"

"Oh, Jisung. You're denser than a rock. His roommate is Park Jinyoung. I know you have his number—I saw him give it to you. You been living under a rock?" Seungmin said.

Jisung took a few seconds to stare at Seungmin. "Oh, it makes a lot more sense. Jinyoung was looking for his rogue roommate... yeah, I'll call him," Jisung muttered, taking his phone from his back pocket. He frowned when he saw a crack on it from his encounter with Hyunjin.

The slip of paper Jinyoung gave him came out with the phone, and Jisung quickly punched the numbers into the dial pad. The phone rang once, twice, before there was an answer. Jisung put it on speaker. "Hey, Jisung! Sorry about earlier, I didn't mean to—" Jinyoung said.

Jisung raised a hand up, forgetting Jinyoung couldn't see him. "Nah, don't talk about it. We cool, cool like ice. Yeah!" Jisung said, awkward silence following his words. "Anyway, I need some help... we found Hyunjin after he tried to beat me to a pulp. Mind picking him up for us?" Jisung said, his tone dry.

There was a long silence, and Jisung looked down at his phone to find that Jinyoung had hung up. All of a sudden, the two garden doors burst open, and Jinyoung started running at them. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I didn't know he was in a bad mood today," Jinyoung apologized.

Seungmin nodded, and Jisung caught a glimpse of remorse in his eyes. "Yeah, well, try to make sure it doesn't happen again. I knew Hyunjin, and he's definitely not feeling too hot," Seungmin said. Looking closer at the now sleeping Hyunjin on the bench, Seungmin frowned. "Chamomile tea. Three teaspoons of half-and-half milk, one cup of vanilla coffee creamer—don't look at me weird, he likes it in his tea—, one spoonful of sugar, two spoonfuls of vanilla extract, and three oatmeal raisin cookies. Got that, Jinyoung?"

Jisung smiled. Seungmin never did forget the tiny details about Hyunjin, tiny things like his—no, Jisung, stop, and it was rather bittersweet. No matter how many times Hyunjin had broken Seungmin's heart, Seungmin still cared. After all, they were soulmates. Jisung sighed, deciding to put the monologue that he was about to spew away for the moment. Seungmin was viciously telling Jinyoung the instructions for the tea again, and Jinyoung was jotting down what Seungmin said on a notepad. "Seungmin, you're scaring him," Jisung said.

Seungmin ignored Jisung. He kept shouting at Jinyoung, and Jisung watched as Jinyoung eventually backed away with Hyunjin, saying he had to take care of some errands. Biting his lip, Jisung walked up to Seungmin, tapping his shoulder. "You shouldn't have done that, Seungmin. Seriously, what happened?" Jisung asked. He didn't mean for the tone to come out so harsh.

Seungmin paused for a moment before slapping Jisung's hand off his shoulder. "You know damn well what happened, Jisung. Don't try to act like you don't," Seungmin said under his breath, turning to look at Jisung. "Why does it hurt so much if it never happened?" Seungmin mumbled.

Jisung stared at Seungmin for a bit before moving to the bench Hyunjin had sat earlier. He sat down, patting the spot next to him, a signal for Seungmin to join him. When Seungmin dragged his feet across the cobblestone and moss, Jisung put an arm around his shoulder. "It did happen, Seungminnie. I know you don't acknowledge it, since... yeah, we both know. Still, why are you getting so hung up about it? I know you can't forget, but some things need to be forgotten. I'm not telling you to go clubbing and hook up with random people, I'm telling you to heal yourself before being the student council president," Jisung said, starting to space out.

"You know, I dated someone once. And, for a while, I forgot about my whole 'soulmates are the only one for you' philosophy. I started falling too deep, and I guess I painted my own picture of my real self. It was like everything was perfect," Jisung reminisced, sighing.

After a moment, Seungmin made a small sound. "What happened?"

Jisung smiled. "Of course you wouldn't know, this was before I met you. He didn't find his real soulmate, but he knew I was definitely not him. At first, he was cool with it. He was like, 'Cool beans, man.' After a while, he started becoming, just... rude. Then he broke up with me," Jisung said, shrugging. "It hurt a lot back then, but do I care now? No, definitely not."

Seungmin hummed in response.

Jisung didn't get another sound out from Seungmin, so the two sat there, watching the birds eat from the birdfeeders. Jisung had taken a special liking to a sleek-feathered blackbird. Jisung was tempted to stand up and go catch it, but Seungmin was more important. Jisung looked at the sun, hanging high in the sky, and wondered how much longer it would take for the sun to expand and kill them all. Doing the math in his head, Jisung promptly lost where he was when Seungmin jumped up. "Hey, I have to go do something. Sorry, I forgot. See you later, Jisung. Thanks," Seungmin said, barely turning around to face Jisung.

"Wait, Seungmin—oh... okay," Jisung said. He picked up a small earring that was laying on the bench. "You forgot this..."

Jisung turned the small red gem around. The initials HH and KS were carved next to each other, a heart surrounding them. "You cherished this so much," Jisung muttered. "How could you drop this?"

Pocketing the item for now, Jisung pulled out his phone. 4:52. Jisung hummed, putting his phone back in his pocket. Huh, strange. Was he forgetting something?

Oh, wait. Yes, he was forgetting something. "Shi—iitake mushroom. Minho..." Jisung grumbled.

Running his hands through his hair, Jisung stood up from the bench and sprinted for the exit. "If I have to be at Minho's at five, I need to get my supplies first, try to not look like a complete mess, and make it in time. Public transport would take longer than running, so I'll have to run. Jesus Christ, Han Jisung. You're going to be the death of yourself," Jisung panted.

Almost stepping on the gardening club's president's prized flower, Jisung made it out of the school and garden. "Never counted on playing minesweepers today," Jisung said, bitterly.

Jisung's dorm was five minutes by bus ride, four and a half minutes by foot. He was never a runner, but, with the right motivation, Jisung could run ten miles. Taking a deep breath, he began running down the street of busy city goers. Mumbling apologies, he pushed through the crowd. Jisung's apartment was in front of him. With a burst of energy, he almost knocked down a stranger over. 

Climbing up the stairs, Jisung was sure he was a total mess. He looked at the digital clock that the building owner had installed. A bright 4:55 flashed back at him. "I'm a bit early, that's good," Jisung said. 

Fumbling with his keys, Jisung managed to open the door to his apartment. Changbin was on the couch with Felix. Jisung didn't care nor want to know what they were doing, so he made a sharp turn into his art room. Grabbing his whole collection of paints, Jisung quickly checked himself in the mirror before leaving, slamming the door shut. 

Going down the stairs, Jisung looked back at the window. "I'm tempted to jump out of you right now," Jisung said. He wasn't joking.

Choosing the safer option, Jisung made it out of his building in record time, the worker at the desk blinking at how fast he went. Jisung checked his phone for the address. "Found it."

Minho's dorm was three minutes away. It was 4:57. Jisung bit his lip. He really didn't want to have to run, but he didn't have any other option. Bracing himself for the amount of soreness that would kill him, Jisung ran across the street. Right now, he could care less if he was jaywalking. Turning left then right, Jisung almost made a wrong turn, barely stopping himself. 4:58.

"The building!" Jisung shouted, seeing the brick apartment complex come in view. Jisung pushed the girl trying to enter the building out of the way. Checking the room number, Jisung thanked the gods that Minho's apartment was on the second floor. It took Jisung less than thirty seconds to climb, and he jumped the last two steps. Out of breath, Jisung knocked on the door.

Chan appeared. "Oh, Jisung! I heard you asked Minho to paint you, so you'd know what you look like. That's a pretty cool idea, actually. Come in," Chan said, smiling. 

Jisung weakly smiled back, nodding a thanks in return. He carried his paints in, and Chan pointed in the direction of a medium sized room. "That's where he is. Go and say hi, mate. You better not give him trouble," Chan said, laughing.

Jisung nodded before walking. He knocked on the door. "Come in," Minho said.

Jisung bit his lip. Was it too late to back out? Jisung was starting to get nervous. Walking in, the first thing Jisung noticed was the number of paintings and awards hung up. There were flowers, people, coffee pots, and even a trashcan. Minho was definitely not limited in what he painted. On the other wall, prizes were hung so close to each other Jisung thought they overlapped. He caught sight of a first place and even a tiny second place in the corner. "Wow," Jisung said, in awe.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Minho asked, not looking up from his art. 

Jisung flinched, and he saw the boy sitting in the middle of the room, sketching a painting of two seashells. 

Despite never seeing Minho, the back of his head looked familiar. Absentmindedly, Jisung touched the back of his own head. "Yeah, it's really cool. You're a really good artist, so, sorry to bother you with this. Just kinda curious, you know?" Jisung asked.

Minho still didn't look up, too focused on the seashells. "Yeah, of course, you'd be curious. I don't care much for soulmates, but I guess you must real excited to meet him. Her?" Minho said.

"Him," Jisung said, looking at the ground.

"Oh, cool. Sorry for being distant, just trying to finish my project for Professor Lee. So, I—oh my god," Minho said. He finally turned around to look at Jisung, and his sentence had been cut off.

Jiung briefly wondered why Minho was so shocked to see him. it took a second for Jiung to clear up Minho's appearance, but, when he did, Jisung was met with a surprise. "Oh, I—well, that's awkward," Jisung mumbled.

Jisung was staring at a mirror image of himself. Jisung imagined Minho must also be staring at himself. Jisung turned away from Minho, choosing to stare at the wall.

Lee Minho was his soulmate.

**Author's Note:**

> i always end up making Chan evil.
> 
> I swear I don't hate him lol
> 
> should I make spin-offs for this?
> 
> Like, Seungmin and Hyunjin's story ark (after), Changbin and Felix's story ark (past), and Woojin, Chan, and Jeongin's story ark (present? after?)? That'd be cool... because I already have plans on how I'm going to screw up the Seungjin couple.


End file.
